Burghound "Outstanding Top Value," 91 Points, Awesome 2014 Vintage, Under $30, PLUS My X-Mas Gift to You

JJ Girard is kind of like Ridge in California. Not stylistically but thematically. Follow me here. JJ

Girard is the oldest estate in Savigny Les Beaune and has been making brilliant wines since 1529. I have worked with Jean-Jacques since year one and he is one of our most popular producers. I think his 14s, next to his otherworldly 12s are his best vintage. I think the 14s have more freshness and will need age before they can be approached while certain 12s can be drunk with a heavy decent due the extraordinary levels of fruit. So back to that Ridge comparison. People almost forget about Ridge and JJ Girard due to the maddening consistency. I truly never know what to choose because they are all so good and they are all such terrific values. With the 2014 vintage, Burghound said they made some of the finest values of the vintage. Anywhere you go if you open a bottle of Girard or Ridge you will he at a minimum satisfied and they always will exceed your expectations and you'll be like, why don't I drink more Ridge/Girard more often and then you'll open a 120 year old vine St. Joseph and move on. It's just the nature of the beast within this hobby.  Today I have two brilliant 14s and another killer price/Burghound QPR form Girard. Don't let these pass you buy.

Up first is arguably one of Girard's longest aging reds. I think the '11 is the only one that s somewhat approachable now. I think '12 and '13 need more time. The wine is the 2014 JJ Girard Pernand Vergelesses 1er Cru "Les Fichots" for as little as $29.99 a bottle on a 4-pack. This wine Burghound rated a 91 and called it an Outstanding Top Value. $29.99 and 91 pts for a brilliant bottle of red Burgundy that will age for 15-20 years. Where do I sign up? Big and intense, earthy, leafy, cherry lipstick, mossy and brambly red fruits on the nose. Terrific texture with great 2014 ripeness and unreal freshness. A bit closed as was alluded to before but juicy with terrific length, concentration and power and accentuated by a nice spice. There is a serious core here. Outrageous wine. But you must have patience. There are unique tannins that come from this very unique rocky soil. Very juicy. Very long. Acidity is pitch perfect. Freshness and lovely persistence. Big structure as always with Fichots suggests 15-20 years of life. While Burghound thinks you should start drinking this in 2024 I'll say 2020 as I can handle a bit of tannin. The soils of "Les Fichots" have large round stones and are extremely hard and deep which results in a very structured deep wine that takes time to express itself. I adore this wine because it is such an awesome value for what results in a baby Corton if you have patience. Below is BH's note.

"Here too discreet wood frames a fresh and markedly ripe nose of plum and black currant liqueur aromas that are liberally laced with spice and earth nuances. There is excellent volume to the attractively concentrated and textured middle weight flavors that possess a suave mouth feel while retaining a fine sense of energy and detail on the lingering and sappy finish. Note that moderate patience will be required before this beauty will be approachable." - 91 BH

Next up I have one of my favorite wines in the Girard stable from one of my favorite vineyards. Before I get into the pricing this wine, which I tasted along with the brilliant 14 Pernand Fichots from above this past March, this put me in a quandary. If I were to apply my normal markup on this wine it would be $36.99 and $34.99 on 4 bottles. I loved this in March. Burghound only gave it 89 pts. Maybe he caught it on a bad day or had a bad bottle, but to me it was the equal of the Fichots. I love this bottling from JJ Girard as the terroir of Clos du Roi, in my mind is epically special. With age these wines can become magic. The '12 which is I sold for $34.99 is a great wine but needs 3-5 more years to fill out. Even though I could sell the the 2014 JJ Girard Beaune 1er Cru "Clos du Roi" for $34.99 which is still, by far the cheapest Beaune Clos du Roi from any estate in 2014 (compare any Clos du Roi in 2014 from $43-$79) but I'm not. Consider this an early Christmas gift because from a pure wine sabremetrics geeky point of view a 91 pt BH red burg for $29.99 will outshine a 89 pt BH for $34.99. You can't fight the tape. So having said all that, I am taking a major haircut here on this because I want as many people to taste and cellar this as possible, so...

I'm selling the 2014 JJ Girard Beaune 1er Cru "Clos du Roi" for $28.99 a bottle on a 4-pack. You cannot beat that for value! Color is a bright scarlet and I don't mention color often but it really is striking in this wine. Gorgeous aromas of blackcurrant and blackberry also with red cherry and red currant but super earthy as well. So deep and very wafting. This is like biting into a fresh perfectly ripe bowl of cherries. But all of them are the tiny, juicy super firm ones. Mostly on the darker side. Big structure and density and of course amazing freshness and depth. Surprisingly accessible for a young Clos du Roi. Really long and juicy with a darkness and earthiness that I just love in this cuvee.

I live for wines from this vineyard. It is perfectly situated with a lovely south/southeasterly exposure and is considered one of the top 2-3 1er crus in Beaune. It is also directly abutting the non 1er site Les Blanches Fleurs of which I sold the 2012 Herve Murat version. The soil is classic marl with limestone pebbles. Below is BH's 89 pt score review.

"This is earthier than it usually is with its notes of plum and violet along with background hints of the sauvage. The textured and suave medium weight flavors possess good volume and solid complexity on the saline, vibrant and moderately structured finish. This pretty effort should also drink well on the younger side." 89 BH 

2014 JJ Girard Pernand-Vergelesses 1er Cru "Les Fichots" - $31.99 ($119.96 4-pack) 

2014 JJ Girard Beaune 1er Cru "Clos du Roi" - $30.99 ($115.96 4-pack)